The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-01-12
THE CHINAHAN'S Sins.
UNFAvoSABLE TRAITS IN CHINESE CHAR
ACTEE Ibis OPIUM HABIT HIS
LACK OF TRUTHEULNESS AND
HONESTY.
Sermon by the Rev. II. w. Whilaen.
Delivered in the Methodist Church
at A5bcyiiic in the Union Meet


at A5beyiiic in the Union Meet
ing. January .. 1857.
One who has livcl among the Chinese for
sixteen years says, much that he has
seen "would do honor to any nation or KIM
drcd OF mCn.
The Chinese are not warl!ke, though they
are patriotic: they are polite amt a1lahle;
they have great respect 10 are ana are Gener,
allv free from that pride which wonld lead
them 10 dcSDiSc those who are in q lower pc
cnniary situation than themselves. While,
however there are some traits commendabl".
the bad traits alas! greatly oHCrbal"nce Inc
good. We would call your attention to some
of the uufaVoraole traits Oh the Ihiiese cil't-
acter.
INTOXICATING DRTNKs-TItE OPIUM HABIT.
m Intcmpcrancc. The art of distillation
Is generally considered by us TO have h"en
discovered between nine hu ,drcd ana y thon-
Sand wears ago. some of the Chinese, hoWev-
cr. profess an earlier knowledge OF this art
Tney claim it as having heen discovered by
one OF their number at IL period i'll whlch, IL
onr reckoning, would I've more than TWO
thunsand years before the beginning OF the
Christian Fra. The diScovercr banded some
liquor to the reisnin@ emperor 10 dflnk. i ne
nmneror simply tasted il and said. "COming
orcs will make this their ruin" y phlloSo-
nIer in mentioning those things among the
a,nperors which rendered thain particularly
jlluStrous said in praise OF this emperor, ne
hated the taste of wine; he loved virtunus
1seds " The discoverer was haniShed by this
emperor, and his name handed down IN dlS-
The use of Intoxicating liquor is condemned
nv the hest writers among the Chinese. it
has been said by one of their writer's: HeaF-
en- sent down the decree at first, that ardent
spirits should be made only IN use LOT saSTl,
fees. BY this we See that they are regarded
as having been perverted frem their proper
use. Formidable rebeliions and the ruin
hotb of; large and small states have been at
tributed to the use of arGent splrnS. me
neoplc we're once instructed thus: let the
ocrasion OF u national drinking he when sac
rificns are offered, a.Sl then use 1T moderate
w. so as not to become intoHlrateu.
n emueror said to one of his governors
"Iu respect to drinking carousals, uont iall
to apprehend every oceri IN nnnsh miH III him with
death" In an imperial edict, IT Is remarked,
that it is generally seen that IN nve or SIN
cases ont OF ten involving life, which come
before the criminal board, the evil mas "[lseii
from spirituouS liquors
The Intoxicating drinks among the ChlneSe
are Of various kinds. The most common IL
made from rice. 1t is common for thc Cni-
neSc, when they drink TO excess to arlnk IN
nriv,tr 7 cannot say certainly that ever
saw a Chiiaman Intoxicated. l once, and
only once saw a Chinalnan VINO cNnloiieu
the appparancc of a person undcr me ihiueHce
of ardent SpiritS; but | was told that TINS per-
son was deranged If this was the case, then
have never seen a case of drunkenness i'll
China. ,., .o,
In China there arc taverns IN which travel
,orS may obtain ardent SniritS; Whptner or
not there are any places there corresponding tn
our brr-rooms is not very clear. Some writers
saw there are: some say that there arc not
The custom of drinking the health Is some
times followed by in,oXication IN our c0nn'
try. bnt If reports he true, IL can win dilil'
cultv he followed by in,oXication IN CHINA, as
the cups used arc said TO contain uuI le"
drops IL, .,,o.. ,r ,n+ox;c,+-
in,r drinks among the Chinese, we would re-
mark that they will sometimes prepare an
article far more injurious than anything they
Enropcan sailors. They prepare an article
that produces not only an Intoxicating, Dnl a
maddeniuy effect. IT has been deScrine'i rs
s.cuusiur a state of drunkenness more ZERO
cious lhnn that occaSloncu oS any o,iie' go,
its, and leading u riotous scenes OF the great,
aS, cnormity" L. is said to be composed OIL
alcohol, tobacco juice, sugar, ana sometimes
arsenic: and when taken III cohSlucraoIe
quantities. not only destroys tne reason iim, hi,
inIo the most violent ptroNSSinS ol rage;
The name ny which this liquor Is Called
means thrice fired. :. c,,
;s oniun. The Chinese always smoke opium
in prtyatc, and they lie down when lh,S
smoke Beggurs have been Known 10 use lol
hc.purchaSc of opium, money tHat n''u Deen
:1Iosi il is in China, in the love OF oiinni; as
II is i'm our own land, in the love ol aroeni
spirits. \ man i'll onr own country WI
Sometimes. through the love Oh strong urink.
forget thp wants of those whom the teachings
of revelation and the laws OF lEiture com
mand him TO support. ,,,. /, ,,.
Opium. or the !.baC> weed" {aS H. Is some.
times caiied) is so expensive III emma, ina
when a pOOr man is known to use II, IL Is sup
noScd he has stolen either the opium or thr
money with wh!ch he has purchased II.
was in nfurm"u in China that IL was worth lis
weight in silver.
c,vv of opinm: 1T undprinineS health, ruins
character ana destroys lie. It's Nlctims ne
come useless rncInhcrS of society, ana Il Dur
den TO their friends They lose ali resttu Iu' ~.
They even sell the clothes OF their callurcl
and their wives, and tlnally they part VIII
their own to obtain the means !or srtli'Hlh"
their annette And when I'LL other resources
fail children and wives must themselves DC
sacrificed. THESE are mrrrllcSsiy Solu, thi''
husbands and fathers may he ;tnie u o.ialn
0plum. Such is the ELECT oi Inc aru" upon
the family. It's Influence on character Is
cnnolIy disastrous. 1t beGets in its victim q
nerIcci rcrkieSsneSs in respect 10 moral princl
Die: and there is no species Oh dishonesty ~
which they will not resort Ing! soon DC
come addicted to the commission ol crime
,n,I tbrv nrrscverc in 4 course of wickrdncSS
XII nm outraged community casts them out
after which they wande" ny Hngnoond'
through the streets, heg.ln@ inc means o
subsistence, and hnally llc doWh ana uie "
cold or starvation" ,
/ wriier tells MS that "the use OF opium Is
increasing t. an alarming extent, ana plunT
ing hundreds and thousands intoi.letrleThG,' ~ 10,
ruin" H, says 1.-The disastrous effects OF me
rS.. nf oniu H. in n country so thickIy settled
as China, mrst lac great beyond an caIcuiulr
lion. We see but little OF It's doin.S, because
we nrc so much shut out from The people
Cnnid NC have rOnstint intercourse VII II al
classes 90 into flmilicS, enter private aondcS
we would no dolbt inn that large amount
of the pauperisn. crime. disease ana DEAN
may he traced 10 this prolific source.
Tiis poiSonOuS urug (rsliSed from the poppy
mostly in Ind!a) was introduced in China
with fhe Knowledge. and it may hc said with
the sanction OF govcrhhielit tn''' iii's p'
called u Christian government.
The secular press in England has not Deri
silent with reference To this outrage. The ed
itor OF A London periodical reniarlis: I'VE
sy>tematicnly and nS9,GnE h Wa im,.'EG nrn ~ nern 1'
expressly for the purposef dlilnSing poisni
anon. the people, wnich IT, is estimated de
Stroys nt least two millions oi them every
year; and what Is worse tilah even lnaS Mlo'e
sale destruction of life, sinks multltuucS o
them into an abyss of Sen$llallty ami deh;tSe
ment where they are transi"r:ueu mo worS,
than 6rutes. AN opium house. SAID an eye
witness once cited by Sir Robert lngliS IN INT
IInnse of Commons, .iS the ant"-cllamber %
hell He says he saw on his first Tl"lt u one
of them, Malays and Chinese; olu ana Young
I'm one mlSS. in one common ncrt, "alloWlli.
in their filth, bcaStly, sensual. der'llSa. "
the men who are content tp draw the wealth
by which they are enriched, from this Iom
sink of debaurhcry, what can he said? OI
what avail will IT. hc 10 say anSthlhS: 1
tbair ronscirncps were not dead already, onC
would imagine that even in the midst of tht
sn!eudid mansions built and gnrn:shcd ont .
the profits OF this ac"ur<ed trade. they would
nightly be haunted hy VISIONS "l thc gh;'ft'N
ana cudayerous witches who by their agency
are constantly hurled into the perditlon o
boiv aud soul"
We have been speaking of England's par